Turnpike considers getting rid of cash tolls

The Turnpike Commission has hired consulting firms to study how the toll road could switch to a cashless toll-collection system.

After the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission recently reversed a controversial decision to print toll tickets without the cost on them, turnpike officials now are looking into possibly getting rid of cash tolls altogether.

The commission has hired two consulting firms for a year-long study on how the 545-mile highway network could switch to a cashless toll-collection system known as all-electronic tolling or AET in transportation circles, said turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo.

DeFebo said the study is not intended to address "human resources issues'' and that estimating the impact an AET system would have on toll collector jobs is "premature.'' The turnpike has 615 full-time toll collectors and 150 to 200 part-time collectors.

"The commission has only hired a team to do a feasibility study. No contract has been issued yet, so there is no dollar amount on what the study will cost," DeFebo said.

"(The companies) will look at whether a cashless system would work, how it would work and what it would cost to implement."

The commission hired McCormick Taylor Inc. of Philadelphia and Wilbur Smith Associates Inc. of Columbia, S.C., to complete the study.

The team will prepare a report documenting tolling options, system requirements, estimated costs, traffic and revenue impacts, and an implementation schedule for an AET system.

The two companies are experienced in the tolling industry and have worked in Pennsylvania before, DeFebo said. They developed the proposed tolling system for Pennsylvania's 311-mile Interstate 80 that was never implemented because the federal government blocked the plan.

If AET is adopted, traditional tollbooths would be removed and everyone would pay electronically with E-ZPass or another cashless payment option that would be developed for those who don't have E-ZPass, said turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier.

Some possible payment options include capturing an image of a license plate and billing the vehicle's registered owner or allowing non E-ZPass customers to set up a prepaid, video-toll account tied to their license plates.

"By eliminating tollbooths, customers could experience a safer, faster and more convenient trip," Brimmeier said. "All-electronic tolling is better for the environment since vehicles aren't stopped and idling at the toll plazas, which reduces emissions and improves gas mileage."

The CEO stressed that the Turnpike Commission is studying only the possibility of AET and no final decision has been made.

"AET is certainly the future of the tolling industry, because, in addition to the numerous customer benefits, it's more efficient and cost effective for toll-road operators," he said. "If the Turnpike Commission can realize significant cost savings from such a conversion, then we have an obligation to customers and bondholders to look into it."

Brimmeier noted that a number of toll roads across the nation are implementing such changes, from New Jersey to Florida and California.

If the Pennsylvania pike commission chooses an AET system, a timetable would be established for converting the entire roadway, which has 62 toll plazas. About two-thirds of all turnpike users pay with E-ZPass, which was first available in Pennsylvania 10 years ago, officials said.

George Mattar can be reached at 215-949-4165 or gmattar@phillyBurbs.com. Follow George on Twitter at mattarmuses@Twitter.com.

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